Recently I discovered who my father was after fifty years of not knowing him or that I had other siblings. It was a bittersweet moment finding out who he was three weeks after his death.
I had resigned myself to the fact I would probably never get to know him or to find out who I was when I was in my thirties. I simply decided this was the life I was given, make it my own. I have a beautiful, loving, caring wife. I had four children of my own, most are all grown, adults.
One night while watching the latest series on Netflix, my wife gets a message on Facebook. In fifteen minutes I had confirmed who my father was and that he had passed away, and the woman on the phone I was talking with was probably my sister and also finding out I had a brother. Just from the phone conversation, we were 99% sure we had found the right person, a DNA test was in the works. Two weeks later and its a 99.9% chance we were a match for our father.
Like most people who pass away, they leave behind something for their descendants. Not everything left behind is a physical item that we receive, sometimes its nothing we can see unless we look in a mirror. A person who never knows a parent or both parents has a maternal instinct to want to know who they are and where they come from. You dream of what your father or mother looks like, how they sound when they speak, what their life story was. All these things make up who we are as an individual. Throughout my life, I had wondered why I thought the way I did? I wasn't raised to believe in the things I do believe in, where did these beliefs and yearnings come from? Why were our Constitution and Bill of Rights, the state of our crumbling democracy, and the continually eroding rights and freedoms of the American people so important to me? After learning who my father was, a lot of questions were answered.
One of the first things I saw when I entered my father's house after meeting my sister for the first time was a copy of The Constitution, Bill of Rights and The Declaration of Independence, nicely framed, hanging on his wall. My father was also a champion pistol and rifle shooter with numerous awards. He had a large gun safe for his guns and enough ammunition to wage a small war. He was a man who loved his guns, he advocated for firearm safety and responsible gun ownership. He also loved his Harley Davison and was involved in A.B.A.T.E for years. All of these things told me a lot of who he was, who I was, and why I thought so importantly of freedom, the rights that are given to us by God, and the fight against tyranny and greed. All of the things I saw while I was standing there for the first time said one thing, freedom was important to him also, and for the first time in my life, I had felt a real connection.
Among the things that were left for me was an old gun, it was very old. It was in a case that was on my father's headboard on his bed. It was laid in red velvet, covered in glass. There was a little gold plaque with the name "Balpy Culbertson 1855 - 1931" This was no doubt one of the most important things my father had. I didn't realize the importance of that old gun and who "Balpy" was until I started to find out more of my heritage. This answered a lot of questions of who I was and why freedom and the rights of the people were so important to me.
Balpy was John Washinton Culbertson who had a wife named Martha. He lived and died in Fayette Co. Illinois. I didn't find out much about him. So I called my new found sister to ask her about John Washington who told me that she had heard from our father that our family lineage was back to one of George Washington's bodyguards and that is why Washington was probably used in his middle name. I was very intrigued and wanted to know more, so I started to dig.
Balpy's father was John Thomas Culbertson, born in Williamson Tennessee in 1824. Not surprising another presidential middle name. I was getting excited thinking this could be true, a bodyguard of George Washington? John Thomas died March 1st, 1866 in the middle of the Civil War. John Thomas Culbertson was a Major in the Union Army who fought under Gen. Grant in the Battle of Appomattox. He took a musket ball and never recovered from his wounds and died March 1st, 1866 at the age of 42.
John Thomas Culbertson's father was Benjamin Andrew Culbertson? and Benjamin J. Culbertson? One in the same person born in 1785 in Rowan Co, North Carolina? Another prominent middle name in American history. This was not surprising shortly after the American Revolution that popular presidential and prominent names were used, incorporated into a family name. Then Debogle began, Benjamin had ten children,? married twice? His first wife was Anna Elliot and his second wife was Mary Fitzgerald? Who was Benjamin Andrew Culbertson or Benjamin J. Culbertson's wife, Anna Elliott? Marriage 23 Aug. 1810. Williamson, Tennessee? or 15 Dec. 1852 in Williamson County, Tennessee?
My clues came from Walter t Culbertson, born In Williamson Tennesee in 1824 one year before John Thomas Culbertson. They had the same mother, Anna (Trimble)Culbertson. Trimble was Walter's middle name. It was a three-day adventure of pulling what hair I have left, out. It was a spaghetti trail of the same names through generations of Culbertson's, compounded by endless questions. Finally, with the help of more knowledgeable people, I was able to conclude. Benjamin J Culbertson was who I was trailing.
Benjamin's father was John Culbertson," Lt. Col. John Culbertson", He had four brothers, Andrew, James, Robert, and Samuel. James Culbertson was commissioned by Gov. Denny, of Pa., May 1, 1758, to be Ensign of a company, in Col.HughMercer's Battalion (Regt.), the Third Bat. of Pa. Provincial Troops, in the French and Indian War. Ensign James marched to Ft. Duquesne in winter of 1758. He was in the Revolution, as well as his son, John, and while they were at home on a furlough and eating their dinners, the Indians took them by surprise and shot them down.
John Culbertson was in the battle of Long Island in the fall of 1776, this was the first battle of the Revolutionary War, He was with Gen. George Washington at that time, at the Battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776. They lost that battle and had to retreat across the Delaware River, on December 25, 1776 Washingtons militia crossed the Deleware again. Johns brothers, Samuel Culbertson, Pvt. Robert Culbertson were all in the crossing and Samuels son 17-year-old son, Lt. Benjamin Culbertson drowned in that crossing December 25, 1776. Samuel Culbertson was captured by the British, Nov. 16, 1776, at the Battle of Fort Washington. He was sent to Long Island prison, held by the Brittish until he was ex-changed Nov. 2, 1780, at Elizabethtown, N. J.
Lt.Co. John Culbertson was a Delegate at the first draft of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Lancaster Pennsylvania, his brother Lt. Andrew Culbertson was also there as a Delegate." First Proclamations of the American People Setting Forth the Principles of Liberty, at Great Debates in which the Spirit of Freedom has manifested Convention at Lancaster on June Twenty-fifth in 1776."
Early in 1776, Congress called upon the several colonies to furnish troops for defensive operations only. The quota assigned to Pennsylvania was 4500 men. The Assembly of the colony adjourned after this call had been made without making any provisions for filling this quota or answering this call. In this emergency, the "Committee of Conference" issued a call for a Delegate Convention, consisting of four members from each battalion, two officers and two privates, to meet at Lancaster on July 4, 1776, to elect two brigadier-generals to command the troops of the colony. This call was dated June 25, 1776. "The call, in its every line, is loyal to liberty and the cause of the union of all the colonies, you are about to contend for permanent freedom. The present campaign will probably decide the fate of America. It is now in your power to immortalize your names by mingling your achievements with the events of the year to the end of time, for establishing upon a lasting foundation, the liberties of one-quarter of the globe. Remember the honor of our country is at stake. Remember the name of Pennsylvania. Think of your ancestors and your posterity. Resolved that we will march under the direction and command of our brigadier-generals to the assistance of all or any of the free, independent states of America."
This convention was held over sixty miles from Philadelphia, where the Congress was sitting, and on the same day of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, at such a distance that the convention could not know what was transpiring in Philadelphia. This was known as the first Declaration of Independence.
John, Andrew, Robert, and Samuel's father was a man named, "Irish" Andrew Culbertson Jr. Andrew was born in 1694 in Derry Northern Ireland. Andrew Jr. came to this continent in 1710 and settled in Shippensburg Pennsylvania. He died in 1746. Andrew Jr. was my first ancestor to come to the soon to be "America."
Some Founding Fathers were strongly opposed to the formation of a central banking system; the fact that England tried to place the colonies under the monetary control of the Bank of England was seen by many as the "last straw" of oppression which led directly to the American Revolutionary War.
This information of my family history struck me like a Brittish musket ball. This told me so much of who I am, why I was so passionate about America and the rights our forefathers fought and died for. The same rights that I'm watching disappear with each passing of a generation or new President in office. The rights that my family fought and died for were given to us by God, they were conscripted by the good people of this great land. With each passing president, we are becoming more like the enemy we fought to keep our precious way of life intact.
The greatest enemy of our country today is the Central Banking system, and the Federal Reserve. Most Americans don't understand our monetary system or the fractional reserve currency we use today. To be simple, the money in your pocket is not yours. You borrow this money from a private banking system for interest paid to them. Every time a dollar is spent, new debt is created. The Federal Reserve will order new money to be printed. This money is only to be used for debt, as it says on the bill. The newly printed money is not backed by gold/ silver or anything tangible, it's simply backed by the promise to payback. This is a revolving debt machine that Americans are responsible for. Every time a new baby is born in America, the child is responsible for about $17,000 of debt. We are currently 23 trillion dollars in debt to a "Private" Banking System, that can never be repaid. Debt is Slavery, you owe the master.
There has been a battle in this country since its inception, it's not a battle of guns, its a battle for control of our money. President Andrew Jackson fought his whole presidency to remove the Central Banking system. He is quoted as saying "Gentlemen! I too have been a close observer of the doings of the Bank of the United States. I have had men watching you for a long time, and am convinced that you have used the funds of the bank to speculate in the breadstuffs of the country. When you won, you divided the profits amongst you, and when you lost, you charged it to the bank. You tell me that if I take the deposits from the bank and annul its charter I shall ruin ten thousand families. That may be true, gentlemen, but that is your sin! Should I let you go on, you will ruin fifty thousand families, and that would be my sin! You are a den of vipers and thieves. I have determined to rout you out, and by the Eternal, (bringing his fist down on the table) I will rout you out!" President Andrew Jackson could see the evil that corporations could be capable of if not kept in check "Corporations have neither bodies to be punished, nor souls to be condemned, they, therefore, do as they like." The Federal Reserve and the I.R.S. are exactly that, a corporation owned by stockholders and banks. These businesses are not part of the American Government.
We thought that the Civil War was to free the slaves, it was partially. The South had free labor, and it was backed by the Central Bank. The Central Banking system would not give up free labor that produced a lot of wealth from the theft of labor and lives. The North had their own money, it was called the Greenback. This currency was backed by gold but The North was going broke quickly, using up the gold-backed currency to fight the war. When the war ended Lincoln was broke, the north was broke. The North had to turn to the Central Bank again to finance the American government, once this happened America's money was in control of the bankers.
The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. The most immediate impact of the Thirteenth Amendment was to end chattel slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment bans peonage, which occurs when a person is compelled to work to pay off a debt. Bailey v. Alabama (1911). The Anti-Peonage Act of 1867 prohibits peonage, and another federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 1592, makes it a crime to take somebody’s passport or other official documents for the purpose of holding her as a slave.
Savery still exists today under the built-in loophole "Except as a punishment of crimes."The private, state and federal prison system in America incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. 1 in 113 adults are incarcerated, 1 in 38 adults are under some correctional monitoring. In these prison systems, especially the private prison system forces inmates to work. The work done in state prisons is usually for the state its self. Federal and private prisons force inmates to work for corporations such as Victoria Secret, Costco, Toys are Us and others for 17cents an hour.
Private prisons are a multibillion-dollar industry – and growing. Take for example CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America), the largest operator of private prisons in the U.S. In fewer than 20 years, it’s seen its revenue increase by more than 500 percent, from roughly $280 million in 2000 to $1.77 billion in 2017. With the government paying private prison operators about $23,000 per year per inmate (keep in mind, the minimum wage is $15,000 per year), it’s a lucrative business. CoreCivic’s reported 2017 revenue was close to $1.8 billion and business is booming thanks to the American Taxpayer. To keep the beds full in these prisons CoreCivic spent on average $1.4 million per year on lobbying at the federal level and employed over 70 lobbyists at the state level. In addition, the largest private prison companies are members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) – a public policy organization that has developed model bills for state legislators to use when proposing “tough on crime” initiatives like the 1994 “three-strikes law” which imposed a mandatory life sentence on anyone convicted of more than two serious crimes. Not surprisingly, between 1992 and 2003, the number of people serving life sentences increased by more than 80 percent.
Child Support, this is a touchy subject to a lot of Americans. Child Support was another way to steal the labor and wages of Americans and hold them to the bonds of Indentured servitude. Child Support enforcement agency is a "Private" Title 4-D corporation. This is just another way of saying, government contractors. The American government will not violate your rights, but a private contractor will. At the time of your child's birth, we are told that we must sign several "Voluntary" documents, sometimes threatened by being told you can not leave the hospital with your flesh and blood children.
One of these documents is a Social Security Number. This is a contract that is completely voluntary, and illegal because a minor can not make a contract or sign a contract. This contract is for your responsible part of the interest made by using The Federal Reserve Currency, the Central Banking system collects this "interest" in the form of Taxes. Taxes are collected by another "private" corporation called, The Internal Revenue Service. The other completely voluntary contract is "Recognition of Parentage" or ROPE for short. This is the contract for the Child Support collection service and the " Child Support Recovery Unit" to take your wages, take your drivers license, bring you to court, incarcerate you, take your tax return, take up to 60% of your wages, and take your passport. The Child Supportment Agency must have forgotten about the 13th amendment to the Constitution of America. I do not recall the government being there when our children were conceived, my children do not look like "Uncle Sam?"
Why do Americans give up their rights so easily? Why do we let private corporations the Federal Reserve and The IRS enforce laws? There is no law that states The Citizens of America must pay taxes. Article 1 section 10 of The American Constitution plainly states "All taxes must be paid by corporations" but American citizens pay it anyway, because they are being forced to pay or face very unreasonable fines, imprisonment or even death when armed agents of a private company bust in your door and stick a gun in your face because you supposedly owe taxes.
I am an American, not a citizen of the fascist corporate United States of America. My ancestors died fighting a war against the Central Bankers, the same people that promoted slavery, the same people who make the laws, to steal from the American Citizens to take our rights away that were granted to us by God. The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” A government for the people, by the people.
But there is one thing we all can do to end this system of slavery and debt, its not a revolution or a civil war. For the first time in almost 4000 years, our currency is about to change. The change isn't a currency, it is a payment system, it's listed as a commodity on Wall Street. It was created during the financial crisis of 2008 that was caused by greed, and very bad banking practices of the Central Bank, and the Federal Reserve.
Bitcoin is the only decentralized cryptocurrency, a whole new technology had to be created in order for it to work freely and independently. Bitcoin is backed by the faith of the users, varified transactions by computers all over the world. No one can take it from you, not even your government. You hold the keys to your own bank, your own vault. Bitcoin is a peer to peer payment system, with no third-party involvement. (Central Bank, Federal Reserve, IRS) This doesn't mean that a government won't ban it or try to tax it. They still cannot get your Bitcoin unless you give it to them, foolishly.
Blockchain Technology was created for Bitcoin, this is a verification system using the internet and computing power of the world to bring truth to transactions. Currently, almost a trillion dollars of Bitcoin is being bought, sold, and traded a day. If the Blockchain was implemented into our voting system there would be no more lies.
So what kind of American are you? Are you the kind of American that thinks your government has your best interests in mind? Do you think they should take your guns away? Do you think you want Socialism? Or Communism? Or are you the kind of American my ancestors were? I would hope you were because if you give up any more of your rights as a citizen you might find yourself in a situation like my Ancestors- Fighting for Freedom once again. Be a good American and poke those who are in power to keep them in check, or you will find yourselves under the rule of a communist dictator. Karl Marx (The Communist Manifesto) wrote "The best slaves are the ones who think they are free" he also laid out a plan for a communist takeover that said " First you must destroy the family unit, alienate the children from their parents. This will open up a division in the community, making them weak, fearful and subservient to the will of communism." Unfortunately, this plan has been unleashed onto the American citizen generations ago, you see it everywhere in our social programs, our schools and in the ideals of those in power.
Our forefathers saw the future of America and its challenges, these men were well educated and from all walks of life, and religions. These were very smart men who rose to challenge authority, tyranny, slavery, and control. These men gave us the tools to keep our republic and to change it if we choose to by the Second Amendment of the Constitution: "The Right to Keep and Bear Arms shall not be infringed upon" and that is how this true story begins, because of a gun, and the Rights of the American Citizen.